The Iranian Air Force received the first two Su-35s at a private ceremony on November 18 . The planes were transported to Tehran on planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces. This is reported by the publication Flug Revue, reports UNN.
Details
The Iranian Air Force reportedly received its first two Su-35se aircraft on November 18 during a private ceremony at the Komsomolsko-Amur Aviation Plant. The multirole fighters were dismantled and transported to Mehrabad airport in the Iranian capital Tehran on an AN-124-100 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
From there, the aircraft will be delivered to the 3rd Tactical Air Force Base near the city of Hamadan for reassembly.
Initially, the Iranian Air Force wanted to replace the Su-35se only with the Grumman F-14A Tomcat in Isfahan, but the order for the Su-35 CE was increased from 25 to 50 aircraft. This will reportedly allow the Air Force to remove from service several outdated F-4E Phantom II, which are currently in service with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing in Hamadan.
Earlier it was reported that, according to the WSJ, Iran supplied Russia with short-range ballistic missiles . The Institute for the study of war believes that this is an exchange for Su-35 fighters, although the White House has not yet confirmed the fact of deliveries.